IHG Hotels and Resorts opened Crowne Plaza Manhattan Times Square on September 2, 2026, as the brand’s new Americas flagship. The 22-story hotel has 685 city-view guestrooms in a converted New York landmark originally built for the 1964 World’s Fair, now developed by Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company and managed by Highgate.
The traveler decision is whether to book this Crowne Plaza for a Times Square stay instead of another midtown premium hotel. Rooms are now part of the open IHG estate, not a future conversion. Guests pairing a hotel night with a New York cruise can keep Deep Arrival’s Manhattan cruise terminal embarkation guide for the Hudson River side of the same trip.
- Opened: September 2, 2026, as Crowne Plaza’s Americas flagship.
- Scale: 22 stories and 685 city-view guestrooms.
- Location: Times Square, steps from Rockefeller Center, Broadway theaters, and Central Park.
- Dining: Fifty-First Street Social all-day bar and restaurant, plus a 24/7 marketplace.
- Top stay: Manhattan Level suites upstairs and the Broadway Suite penthouse on floor 22.
What IHG confirmed on September 2
In an IHG release issued through PR Newswire, Crowne Plaza said Crowne Plaza Manhattan Times Square is open and is the brand’s new Americas flagship. The company frames the hotel as a showcase for blended travel, meaning guests who mix meetings, leisure, and personal time on one trip.
LODGING Magazine independently reported the same opening, 685-room count, 22-story height, ARTIC ownership, Highgate management, and Times Square location. Those matching facts are the load-bearing core. Marketing language about a “new generation of travelers” is Crowne Plaza’s positioning, not a separate operational change.
Ginger Taggart, IHG’s vice president of brand management for global premium brands, called the hotel a defining moment for Crowne Plaza and tied the interiors to the brand’s New Modern design. That quote explains why IHG is using this building as a flagship. It does not by itself prove room rates, award-night availability, or a renovation calendar for other Crowne Plaza hotels.
The building, rooms, and what “flagship” means here
This is a conversion, not a tower rising from an empty lot. ARTIC and IHG say they reimagined a New York landmark originally constructed for the 1964 World’s Fair while keeping its character. Travelers who stayed at the previous hotel on the site should expect a rebranded product with new public spaces, not a different city block.
The published room inventory is 685 city-view guestrooms. Upper floors are marketed as the Manhattan Level, with suites and rooms described as residential in feel and aimed at people who want to work and sleep above the Times Square noise. The Broadway Suite on the 22nd floor is the penthouse, with a terrace for celebrations. Those are the only named room products in the launch materials.
Tarek M. El Sayed, ARTIC’s managing director and CEO, said the United States remains a key market for the owner and that the project is a long-term hold rather than a quick flip. For a guest, that matters only as a signal that the conversion is meant to stay Crowne Plaza, not as a guarantee of future renovations.
Artwork in the hotel includes locally inspired pieces and large murals by Brazilian-born, Atlanta-based artist Tiago Magro. That is a design note, not a ticketed exhibit. Do not plan a visit around a public art hour that IHG has not published.
Dining, work space, and the Times Square location
Fifty-First Street Social is the hotel’s bar and all-day restaurant, described as the place to start a meeting day, grab a meal between appointments, or stay for evening drinks. A 24/7 marketplace sells grab-and-go food and travel essentials. Multiple large screens are part of the social space. If you need a quiet lobby, this flagship is being sold as an active, city-rhythm room rather than a hushed living room.
Crowne Plaza’s Weekly Socials are destination-inspired food and drink gatherings for hotel guests and locals. Daily Rituals are morning and evening wellness and sleep-focused touches. Neither program has a public calendar in the launch release, so ask at booking whether they run every week or only on selected dates.
Meeting space includes flexible rooms for small teams, The Studio just off the lobby for smaller collaboration, and a Meetings and Events Concierge. That is useful for a company offsite that wants to stay in Times Square without booking a convention hotel. It is not a substitute for a published floor plan or maximum room capacities, which the announcement does not list.
The location pitch is walkability: Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Broadway Theater District, and Central Park. Downtown Manhattan sites such as Deep Arrival’s Federal Hall National Memorial guide are a subway ride, not a two-block stroll, so treat the hotel as a midtown base rather than a Financial District address.
Who should book it, and who should look elsewhere
Book this Crowne Plaza if you want an IHG premium stay that is actually open in Times Square, with 685 city-view rooms and a named all-day restaurant on site. IHG One Rewards members should check live award inventory rather than assuming a flagship opening dumps cheap points nights on day one.
Skip it, or wait, if you need a published street address confirmation in your booking tool, a room-by-room renovation map, or a guaranteed quiet floor. The release does not publish rates, parking rules, union-station transfer times, or which subway entrance is closest.
Leisure guests who want a quieter Manhattan night can still use this hotel as a base and spend daytime elsewhere. Deep Arrival’s Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace guide is a nearby historic-house stop south of midtown, useful when the Times Square sidewalk is the part of the trip you want in small doses.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Need a Times Square hotel tonight or this month | Search IHG for Crowne Plaza Manhattan Times Square and compare live rates against other midtown premiums. |
| Want the penthouse or Manhattan Level | Ask specifically for the Broadway Suite or Manhattan Level; those are named products, not automatic upgrades. |
| Are mixing meetings and Broadway | Use Fifty-First Street Social and The Studio as the on-site work plan, then walk to theaters. |
| Need a documented quiet stay | Ask for a high-floor city-view room away from the social bar, or choose a quieter neighborhood hotel. |
| Are matching a Manhattan cruise | Keep the Hudson terminal timing separate; this hotel is Times Square, not a pier-side lodge. |
September 2, 2026, is the opening date. The hotel is bookable as an open Crowne Plaza, not a coming-soon conversion.
685 rooms is the published inventory. City-view guestrooms are the standard product; Manhattan Level and the Broadway Suite are the named upsells.
Rates and award space are still live-search items. The launch release does not publish a from-price or a points chart.
What remains unpublished
The September 2 materials do not include a street number, opening-night occupancy, parking fees, or a booking URL beyond IHG’s general hotels and reservations pages. Crowne Plaza says it has more than 400 hotels open globally and a pipeline of nearly 150. Those network figures describe brand scale, not this building’s occupancy.
Until your confirmation email shows a room type, cancellation rule, and address, treat the flagship announcement as proof the conversion is open, not as a complete stay packet. Search the property on IHG, confirm Fifty-First Street Social hours after you arrive, and keep a backup midtown hotel if award space or a specific suite is the only reason you would switch plans.
When did Crowne Plaza Manhattan Times Square open?
IHG announced the opening on September 2, 2026.
How many rooms does the new Crowne Plaza Times Square hotel have?
The hotel has 685 city-view guestrooms in a 22-story building.
Is this a brand-new tower?
No. IHG and ARTIC describe it as a reimagined landmark originally constructed for the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
What restaurant is inside the hotel?
Fifty-First Street Social is the all-day bar and restaurant, with a 24/7 marketplace for grab-and-go items.
Does the hotel have a penthouse?
Yes. The Broadway Suite on the 22nd floor is described as a penthouse with a terrace.
